We had less than a full day at Zion National Park and had a lot of fun doing some shorter hikes. Finding parking in the park is difficult in the summer but the free shuttle service is very convenient. I wish we had 4 or 5 more days in the park to explore more of the trails. It is a wonderful National Park with a lot of different kinds of scenery.

These slot canyons are very interesting to look at with the layered walls. This is a relaxing hike compared to Antelope Canyon since there is little people traffic. We encountered 3 parties of people while we hiked.

It was a hot day, but it was cool in the canyon. Even though we went around the middle of the day, the lighting was good since we were in shaded areas of the canyon.

I would have like to use a tripod for these shots since there were parts of the canyon which were a little dark. With a tripod, I could have used a lower ISO to get better shots.

I do like this shot because of the contrast with the sunlight coming in from the top with the patterns in the canyon walls. The rocks around the middle left almost look like they are glowing with sunlight.

We went to the North Window view in Monument Valley in the Navajo Nation 3 years ago. This photograph does look like a scene in an old time Western movie. Monument Valley was used as the location for many Western movies which is why this photograph reminds of the American West.

The tour thru Monument Valley was fun and a little dusty. I can understand why cowboys might wear masks just to keep the dust off their face as they rode and not just to disguise themselves during a robbery. We went in the spring time, so it was not as hot as it could be. It was fun to hear about the different movies that were filmed there – for example – Stagecoach starring John Wayne and 2001: A Space Odyssey. There is a long list of films which utilized the picturesque – Monument Valley.

The geography of the buttes is also interesting with the different layers, and it is fun to think about what the buttes look like.

As we look at scenic sights, it is fun to let our imaginations go to think about stories which could have happened at these locations.

Taking photographs in the late afternoon is a good time of day for showing dimensions with this sun position. I really like the gradient horizontal color variations. It reminds me of an alien landscape. The individual hoodoos almost look like aliens from another galaxy.

It’s good for us to let our imaginations go and enjoy nature. Just as each of us may interpret the “ink spot” in a psychological test in different ways, we each probably could see different things as we look at this photograph of the Hoodoos.

Let me know what you see in this photo. As always, this is a real photograph which is untouched.

We visited the different view points at Bryce Canyon. This photograph was shot from Inspiration Point. I climbed up to the top of this point but was careful since there was no protection railing.

I shot the hoodoos with a 400mm zoom lens to get this view. This photo was taken in the later afternoon with the shadow showing to give a little more dimension to these tall rock pillars. I really like the variation of the shadows, rocks, and the white mineral deposits in these hoodoos. It is also cool there is greenery growing on the flat plateau of rock. There is also the horizontal line patterns in the hoodoos.

I’m glad I can review my photographs to see the details of the scenery I may have missed when I was shooting. There is so much in nature to see which we never notice. Focusing on nature helps us to appreciate the intricacies and nuances of Creation. It is like looking and finding hidden treasure. Hope you will see the hidden treasures in this photograph too.

We went hiking on the Navajo Loop Trail down the Wall Street part at Bryce Canyon. We chose to go down Wall Street, since it was more shaded compared to going down the alternate route. These winding trails were very interesting and fun.

I was in my photography groove shooting lots of photographs. Since we had a time restraint to meet up with others, I sped down the winding path trying to get to see the trees. My brother had went ahead and told me there were trees up ahead. He was going back up the trail to go back. I wanted to see the trees so I proceed to race down.

As you can see, I found these trees by the hoodoos. A hoodoo is a tall, thin spire of rock that protrudes upward and are found in dry hot areas.

There is no correct way to display this picture. It could be displayed either in landscape or portrait. Any way you want to look at this picture is good! This is a rare spot where you can look up from the trees and also have the surrounding hoodoos.

I used a 16mm wide angle lens to take this shot. If your camera does not have the correct type of wide angle lens, this entire shot would not be possible. In this area, I could not back up any farther, I was already on the ground and there was no space. Having a digital DSLR gives the flexibility to get the tough shots even with physical limitations.

I took this photo in the late afternoon. So the lighting was nice to create a glow on the hoodoos. I love natural lighting in my photography. I did not alter this photograph, and love the real and natural colors of the hoodoos.

I am always looking for unique views that I have not seen before. This was one spot that caught my eye, and I’m glad I ran down with my 23 lbs of gear at around 95 degrees at 7,800 ft. elevation. It was a good workout especially when I had to climb back up. When my heart rate got up to 181 bpm, I stopped for a minute before continuing on. I probably got my heart rate up to 181 a few times as I made way back to the top.

We had a fun roller coaster ride off roading in the sand to get to Mystical Slot Canyon in Kanab, Utah. The tour guide, Ron, deflated the tires of his 4 wheeled drive vehicle, so we could have a wilder ride than Mr. Toad’s Ride in Disneyland. He deflated the tires to get more surface area to better navigate thru the deep sand. It was pretty jerky and bumpy ride, and flew off our seats as he drove from the Best Friend Animal Santuary to the canyon. He was very courteous and gave us a wealth of information on the slot canyon and the surrounding area.

Hiking thru the Peek-a-boo Canyon aka Red Canyon aka Mystical Canyon was spectacular. We enjoyed seeing the different patterns in the walls.

I took this photograph because of the way the light shined and reflected on the walls. The indirect sunlight emphasized the line pattern in the walls. Notice the darker part on the right which gives a nice contrast between the shadows and light.

My challenge in this image was to get the correct balance to capture the details with the highlighted and the shadow areas in this scene. Fortunately, my Canon 5D Mark IV has a higher dynamic range to accomplish this goal.

Details, just as in day to day life, are important in our photographs. Using a more advanced camera and learning how to shoot to capture details in the various lighting is possible to do without altering your photo with software.

As always, this photograph was not altered (other than the watermark and the lower resolution) and hope you can appreciate the real colors of the canyon with the interesting patterns.

Stay tune for more photographs from our journey in Arizona, California, Nevada, and Utah!